‘Reign’ Season 1 Spoilers: Who Died In Episode 22? New Threat Strikes Castle [Season Finale Recap]

Season 1 of The CW’s hit new series “Reign” came to a close on May 15 – ending with a major death.

Episode 22, “Slaughter of Innocence,” kicked off with the King summoning everyone in the castle to the courtyard. Desperate to find the person who tried to murder him, King Henry’s ready to go on a killing spree. However his ghost brother stops him.

“Not now,” he tells the King. “Give them time, God likes that best.”

With the order to give them time to confess, King Henry lowers his sword. However to prove his point he kills an innocent bystander. And unfortunately for King Henry, that seals his fate. Francis finally realizes that his father is lost, and begins hatching a plan with Mary and Queen Catherine to remove him from the throne.

But what is the plan? Francis doesn’t want to kill him. Instead he wants to plan a coup that will remove him from the throne. However, a coup is risky, and Francis must first beg Henry’s former generals to join him.

And that’s not the only plan being put in place. King Henry’s plotting his son’s death by staging his meal to be riddled with spikes to appear as if he choked to death. Death isn’t the only thing on his mind though – he’s also planning his wedding to Mary.

Meanwhile Leaith returns to court to show Greer his new lands. But before he can get to his lady love he comes to the rescue of a girl being harassed by one of the King’s guards. The girl asks for him to stay and have a drink with her, but Leith leaves, telling her that he’s looking for someone.

Arriving at Greer’s room, he shows his beloved his new land. Explaining that he’s now a hero and a friend of Francis, Leith asks for her hand in marriage. But Greer tells him that she’s engaged to Lord Castleroy and that nothing has changed.

Leith doesn’t understand, leading Greer to brutally tell him that he’s only a “comfortable” man now. She can’t marry him because he still doesn’t have enough money to pay off her father’s debts, and she can’t risk her sisters being sold.

Leith begs her to stop piling all her family problems on her back and to trust love and him. However Greer doesn’t budge. With tears in her eyes she says goodbye to her first love.

Meanwhile Francis is attempting to leave the castle to meet with the generals when Henry stops him. The king requests Mary’s attendance at an event honoring the return of the soldiers, and makes Francis promise to return for the feast.

Mary can’t refuse the King’s offer and heads to the shoreline to watch the ships shoot fireworks. But crazy Henry decided to switch out the fireworks with gunfire. While things initially go off without a hitch, the gunfire causes an explosion on one of the ships – killing a handful of soldiers.

Everyone is horrified by the explosion … except Henry. Wanting to put on a display for Mary (who he sneakily felt up during the occasion), the king demands that they do the fireworks display again tomorrow.

Marys’ confused and frightened by King Henry. And her fear only grows when she and Catherine figure out that Henry’s plan is to kill Francis, marry her, impregnate her and take all three crowns for himself. With time running out, Mary enlists the help of her Uncle, the Duke. However he tells her that in order to have a coup they must have a leader at hand. Mary tells him they have Francis, but the Duke says that she needs to lead and become the most powerful person in France.

Francis is out of the castle when all this happens, but he quickly discovers King Henry’s latest mess. Appalled of his father’s actions and the 3,000 men leaving for England the following day, Francis returns to the castle with a plan.

As Mary, Queen Catherine and Francis deal with King Henry, Bash and Nostradamus are searching for the Darkness. Finding bodies in an abandoned town, drawings on the wall reveal a chilling future – and that Kenna is in danger.

Kenna’s at her estate with Pascal when a cloaked man claiming to be the Darkness bursts into their home. Wielding a blade, the man demands Kenna hand over the boy and sacrifice herself.

“Pascal, offer her blood to the gods,” the Darkness yells through a door that Kenna barricaded herself and Pascal behind. “Appease their hunger before it grows.”

But Bash returns before anything can happen to Kenna and Pascal. With the help of Nostradamus they wound the Darkness. But before he dies the Darkness begs Bash to let Pascal succeed him … or the black death will come.

What does that mean? The plague is coming! The Darkness warns Bash that if the Gods do not get their blood sacrifice that people will die. However Bash doesn’t believe him. “No more children, no more sacrifices,” Bash tells him. That’s not good enough for the Darkness though. Attempting to kill Bash one last time, he’s forced to brutally stab the Darkness in the head.

As Bash and Kenna have a happy reunion, Mary’s watching a joust set up by King Henry for her amusement. However Mary arrives wearing the English coat of arms, leading Henry to become jealous of the attention surrounding her. Wanting the spotlight, Henry announces that he’s going to joust Lord Montgomery. And while it’s custom for the knight to let his “boss” win, Lord Montgomery doesn’t do that. A blow from Lord Montgomery gravely injures the king, leaving a piece of wood sticking out of his eye.

Everyone rushes to the king’s aid and Lord Montgomery slips away. However when he takes off his helmet away from prying eyes it’s revealed that Lord Montgomery is actually Francis. With France at stake, Francis knocked Lord Montgomery out and took his place in order to eliminate his father.

A surprise betrayal from Francis, it appears as if Greer is going to betray Lord Castleroy. Upon finding out that Leith survived the explosion; Greer brings him back to her room for a steamy hookup. But unfortunately for Leith, a hookup doesn’t mean that Greer changed her mind.

“Nothing’s changed,” she tells him. “Except I felt the pain of your loss more deeply than I ever would.”

Leith argues for her to follow her heart, and when she refuses he brutally ends things with her for good. Telling her that he will continue to rise and become more rich and powerful, Leith warns her that he will never be hers again. And he’s ready to move on. Approaching the girl he aided earlier, he asks to have a drink with her. However the girl tells him at another time because she already has plans. When she leaves her plans are revealed to be with Lord Castleroy – her father.

As Greer mourns her lost love, Queen Catherine and Francis are saying their goodbyes to King Henry. With death approaching, Henry’s kindness returns. He begs Catherine to show kindness to Diane and to reach out and befriend her. Catherine agrees and leaves Henry alone to speak with his son.

Henry reveals to Francis that he was named after his older brother – the ghost that has been haunting him. The King confesses that he thought his brother was weak and that he would be a better King – so he poisoned him.

“Betraying someone you love, it blackens your soul,” Henry tells Francis. “It’s a weight you carry all of your days.”

And it’s a weight that is already having an affect on Francis. But King Henry finally finds peace with his brother before passing away.

With this new knowledge, Francis embraces Bash, seemingly putting their differences aside for good. But trouble is on the horizon.

Lola is in labor and stuck outside of the castle at a random house in a village. With her life and the baby’s life at risk, Lola writes a letter to Mary. In the letter Lola begs Mary to no longer keep their secret and to care for the baby as if it were her own … with Francis.

Mary gets the letter and decides to come clean to Francis about Lola’s pregnancy. “You should go,” she tells her husband. “Because you’re the father of her child. Because I wanted to tell you for months. Because Lola wants to tell you too.”

Shocked by the news, Francis heads off and Mary promises to follow after getting help. But when Mary goes to Nostradamus and Queen Catherine she’s told that no one can leave the castle. Why? Just like the Darkness predicted – the plague.

Realizing that Francis is leaving, Mary rushes after him and tells him that he can’t leave. With the lives of everyone at the castle at risk, Mary warns him that he can’t go. However Francis doesn’t care, telling her that her friend and his child, perhaps his only child, is out there. Begging Mary to listen to her heart, Francis heads off – and Mary lowers the gates.

What did you think of the “Reign” finale? Tweet your thoughts to @AmandaTVScoop.